Watching Popeye cartoons as a child, I always waited for one specific moment. No matter the problem, no matter the enemy, there would come that moment when Popeye opened his can of spinach, ate it, and immediately possessed superhuman strength and speed. The bad guys fled. Olive Oyl was rescued. The world returned to normal.

Sadly, spinach doesn’t work that way for me. So where does our strength come from? In the famous story of David and Goliath, we find the answer. David told King Saul: “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (vv. 36–37).

What did Goliath wear to do battle? Bronze armor, including a bronze helmet and a javelin with an iron point. He was taller, stronger, and more experienced in military combat. What about David? He was relatively young and had no experience as a soldier. Saul tried to dress him in his own military gear, but the items didn’t fit, and he wasn’t used to them (vv. 38–40). Instead, he probably wore shepherd-type clothes. He carried a staff and a slingshot, which was not a toy but a real weapon.

The issue here was Goliath’s disrespect for God and His people. His taunts put God’s honor on the line (v. 26). By contrast, David knew “the battle is the Lord’s” (vv. 45–47). He knew that God would defeat the giant because He always defends His glory. In this victory, the whole world would see the power of the one true God!

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